Saturday, January 07, 2006

Beard Papa vs Jusco Choux Puff

On a whim and for purposes of comparison, I tried both Beard Papa and Jusco's Choux Puffs for a taste test. This is the comparison and verdict.

Beard Papa


I have tried this in Hong Kong, Singapore and now in KL. I found the tastiest and largest one is in Hong Kong (HKD$10 each) whereas Singapore and KL tie for 2nd place. The one in Singapore costs S$2.20 each and KL's costs RM3.30. This review is on the KL one at Midvalley Megamall.

The puff is rather small and the pastry was rather dry. Maybe it was because it was at night and they were using up older stock? Anyway, I was rather surprised to find that I was paying RM3.30 for a choux puff that was quite small. They pumped in the smooth vanilla custard cream and sieved icing sugar all over it before serving. And this is what it looks like when its served.

This is what it looks like after a bite was taken out of it.


Taste: Pastry tasted dry and there wasn't enough icing sugar nor custard cream in it compared to other Beard Papa I have tried. The vanilla cream was a tad sweet but had a satisfying vanilla taste. Eat with caution as it has a tendency to ooze!

Jusco Choux Puffs


Jusco Choux Puffs were around before Beard Papa came into KL. In Midvalley Megamall its located just outside La Boheme bakery. They retail for RM1.80 each which is just over half the price of the Beard Papa one!

On the day I was there, I somehow got 2 puffs for RM1.80 so for RM0.90 each I wasn't complaining too much! The concept is similar to that of Beard Papa and this is what the puff looks like when its served.


This is the picture after a bite is taken. You can see that the cream is lighter in colour compared to the Beard Papa cream.


Taste: If Beard Papa's pastry was dry, this pastry was even drier. It was also not as smooth as the Beard Papa's pastry. The puff is slightly smaller too. The Vanilla cream has the same runny texture but is not as yellow probably due to lesser custard powder in it. The cream is sweet but not as fragrant as that of Beard Papa's.


Verdict:

Luxury option: If you have RM3.30 to spare and are looking to indulge in a pastry, go for the Beard Papa one. It tastes better and is more satisfying.

Budget: But if you are on a budget or have many mouths to feed, the Jusco one will do at a pinch.